Air-vent.



No. 764,822. PATENTED JULY 12, 1904. A; ROBSGH.

AIR VENT.

APPLIOATION rmm DEO.B, 1902.

no MODEL.

INVENTOR 1 WITNESSES: I

UNITED STATES PATENT Patented July 12, 1904.

EEicE.

ALFRED ROESCH, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO DAVIS & ROESCHTEMPERATURE CONTROLLING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OFNEW JERSEY.

AIR-VENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,822, dated July 12,1904.

Application filed December 8, 1902. Serial No. 134,248. (No modeL) I Toall 1072 0777 it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED RoEsoH, a citi- Zen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAir-Vents, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to air-vents for heating systems, and particularlyto air-vents adapted to be attached to radiators in steamheatingsystems. 1

The class of air-vents to which my invention appertains are designed topermit the escape of air from the system, while preventing the escape ofsteam therefrom, and also to prevent the return of air into the systemshould a partial vacuum be formed therein 2 upon the condensation ofsteam or otherwise.

My invention consists in an improved airvent comprising a casing havingtwo abutments, one of which contains a discharge-passage, a thermostaticmember loosely disposed .between the two abutments and adapted uponexpansion to bear against both of the abutments, so as to close thedischarge-passage, and a pressure-operated device engaging one of theabutments to move same to close the 3 discharge-passage regardless ofthe relative expansion of the thermostatic member when atmosphericpressure overbalances the pressure within the system. I

The objects of my invention are to simplif devices of this character andto render them more efficient, to so construct the device that warpingor other abnormal distortion of the thermostatic member will not affectthe successful operation of the device, and to so ar- 4 range andconstruct the parts as to reduce the possibility of a leakage of steamto a minimum.

My invention further consists in certain de- 7 tails of construction andcombination of parts,

as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out, and other advantages willappear hereinafter.

I will now proceed to describe an air-vent embodying my invention andwill then point out the novel features in claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view in side elevation of an air-ventembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of same in central verticalsection. Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section, the plane of sectionbeing taken upon theline 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In carrying out my invention I provide a casing 1, having an extension 2at one side thereof by which the device may be secured to a radiator orother portion of the heating system, as may be desired, a tubular bodyportion 3, and a cylindrical base 45 of larger diameter than the body 3,and an inclosing cap or cover 5, secured by screw-threaded connection tothe portion 4:. The casing is provided with two abutments 6 and 7. The 5upper abutment 6 is preferably stationary with respect to the casingunder normal conditions, but may be adjusted in position when the deviceis being initially set or is being adjusted by hand, so that it mayoperate at the desired temperature, and for this purpose is shown in theform of I a separate plug screwthreaded into the tubular body portion 3.A cap 8 is provided completely inclosing the upper end of the casing, soas to protect the abutment 6 from accidental movement except at suchtimes as it may be desired to manually adjust same.

The abutment 7 is here shown as fitted to a diaphragm 9, securely heldbetween a shoulder in the cylindrical base 4 of the casing and the lowercover 5 thereof. This abutment 7 normally rests upon a hub 10, forming apart of the said cover 5. The abutment 7 contains a discharge-passagewhich is in register 5 with a discharge-passage through the hub 10 inthe cover 5.

A thermostatic expansion member 11 is loosely disposed between the twoabutments 6 and 7that is to say, it is not attached to either abutment,but is free to move longitudinally between them. This thermostaticexpansion member is composed of a material, such as hard rubber, whichhas a high coefficient of expansion relatively to the casing. It is alsohere shown as being hollowthat is to say, it has a longitudinalperforation through it from one end to the other. 7

In the operation of the device the thermostatic member 11 performs thefunction of a valve-plug and one or both of the abutments valve-seats.So long as air is discharging from the system such air will be free topass along the extension 2 into the tubular body 3 through the hollowthermostatic expansion member or valve-plug 11 and through thedischarge-passages in the abutment 7 and the cover 5. A drip-cup 12 issecured beneath the discharge-passage in the cover 5, so as to catch anycondensation from water-vapors or steam which may pass over with theair. After all the air has been discharged and steam enters the casingthe rise of temperature occasioned thereby will cause the member 11 toexpand sufficiently to bear against both the abutments and thereby toclose connection between the interior of the casing and the externalatmosphere.

Heretofore it has been common in this class of device to rigidly securethe thermostatic member to some part of the casing. The thermostaticmember when made of hard rubber or similar material is very likely towarp or become distorted under the influences of variations oftemperature. The thermostatic member so secured when warped would failupon expansion to properly close the valveseat with which it is arrangedto engage, and air-vents have often failed to successfully operate aftera while because of this defect. The thermostatic member of my presentdevice, being loosely disposed between two abutments, will tend to seatitself regardless of any warping or similar distortion.

I have secured the abutment 7 to the diaphragm 9 in order that shouldthe pressure within the system fall below atmospheric pressure thethermostatic member will still be caused to engage both the abutments,regardless of temperature, by the raising up of the abutment 7, due tothe suction upon the diaphragm 9. By this I prevent a return of air intothe system after admission of steam thereto has ceased and the steamremaining in the portion of the system open to the air-vent hascondensed.

In addition to the advantages before recited it will be further notedthat by my construction I am enabled to discharge to the bottom of theair-vent without providing any tubes or the like which are commonlyemployed to convey the discharging fluid from the top of the air-vent tothe base, that my device is an extremely simple one comprising but veryfew parts, and that the liability of those parts to get out of order isreduced to a minimum.

I do not desire, of course, to be limited only to the precise details ofconstruction and combination of parts herein shown and described, as thesame are obviously capable of many modifications within the spirit andscope of my invention, and it will further be apparent that certainportions of my invention may be used with parts of other constructionthan herein shown and described.

What I claim is.

1. In an automatic air-vent for heating systems, the combination with acasing having two Valve-seats, and an inlet-passage located betweenthem, of a thermostatic expansion member comprising twooppositely-arranged valves, loosely disposed between said valveseats,and adapted upon expansion to bear against, and close passage past, bothof them.

2. In an automatic air-vent for heating systems, the combination with acasing having two abutments, one of which contains a discharge-passage,and an inlet-passage located between the two said abutments, of avalveplug having a passage therethrough arranged to discharge throughthe said discharge-passage, said valve-plug composed of material havinga higher coefficient of expansion than the casing, and loosely disposedbetween the two abutments and adapted upon expansion to bear againstboth of them.

3. In an automatic air-vent for heating systems, the combination with acasing having two valve-seats, and an inlet-passage located betweenthem, of a member comprising two oppositely-arranged and connectedvalves, loosely disposed between said valve-seats, said casing and valvemember composed of materials having diiferent coefiicients of expansion,whereby the relative expansion thereof, at certain temperatures, willcause the valves to engage their respective valve-seats and to closepassage past same.

4. In an automatic air-vent for heating systems, the combination with aclosed casing having a valve-seat opening to a discharge-passage, and anabutment against which a thermostatic expansion member may bear, saidcasing having an inlet-passage located between the valve-seat and thesaid abutment, of a thermostatic member comprising a valve plug,composed of a material having a higher coefficient of expansion than thecasing, loosely arranged between the abutment and the valveseat, andadapted upon expansion to bear against the abutment and press the saidValve against its seat, said valve-plug havinga passage therethroughadapted to discharge through the discharge-passage in the valveseat andto close the said discharge-passage and the passage through itself whenin engagement with the said abutment and said valve-seat.

5. In an automatic air-vent for heating systems, the combination with acasing having two oppositely-disposed valve-seats, one of whichcommunicates with a discharge-opening, and an inletpassage locatedbetween them, of a valve-plug having a passage therethrough arranged todischarge through said opening, composed of amaterial having highercoefficient of expansion than the casing, loosely disposed between thetwo valve-seats, and adapted upon expansion to coact with bothvalve-seats.

6. In an automatic air-vent for heating systerns, the combination with acasing having a movable diaphragm and two abutments, one of which ismovable with said diaphragm and has a discharge-passage therethrough,and having a stationary hub upon which the movable abutment is adaptedto seat itself in its rearward position, of a thermostatic expansionmember comprising a valve loosely disposed between said abutment,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

'7. In an automatic air-vent for heating systems, the combination with aclosed casing 1 having a diaphragm 9, a closed abutment 6, an abutment 7secured to the diaphragm and having a discharge-passage therethro ugh,and

aninlet between said abutments, and having ALFRED ROESCH.

Witnesses:

WILLARD WADSWORTH, JOSEPH T. VVADSWORTH.

